Definitely need some advice here!

[Guest Copasetic]

Hello all. Firstly, I'd like to thank Ian for this excellent resource for the aspiring Canadian med student. I did not expect such a resource to be available! Secondly, this is a long one. Please bear with me.

 

On to the meat of my problem. I am 22 years of age. Currently I am working the computer networking field. I am quite good at what I do. I am employed full-time with a large book distributor in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I am a college graduate in the field of Computer Networking. I was not a strong student in high school. This was not due to a lack of intelligence, but rather drive. I attended college in Toronto for computer networking knowing full-well I wanted to be a physician, I graduated, but my GPA was not what one would consider outstanding. Again, this was due to my lack of interest in the material. I do understand, that I am not off to a good start. I do realize also that when one aspires to a field such as medicine, one must be able to apply himself full in all fields of study. Including those which may not interest said individual. There is no doubt in my mind, that I could have done very well in both high school, as well as college. Surely you've heard this story before.

 

Firstly, I would appreciate any and all feedback. My plan is as follows:

 

I realize that during my recent academic experiences I have been my own worst enemy. I do not wish this to become a factor again. To be sure I am able to apply myself I intend to do the following. A) Apply for mature entrance to University. This may require taking Grade 12 courses. I do however have College Physics, Algebra, and Calculus. I intend to take a physics or chemistry class in the evening. Should I do very well, and attain a high standing, I will then apply for full time study in the faculty of science. C) I have started volunteer work with seniors, and intend to volunteer at the St. Catharines general hospital, performing duties as required.

 

If you've read this far, surely you want to understand why I want to become a physician. For me, its quite simple. I do not derive any satisfaction from making a company or myself wealthy. When I wake up in the morning, or when I work overtime, it is simply to make others rich. For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a doctor. I derive great satisfaction and a feeling of integrity when I assist a person in need. As far back as elementary school when a fellow classmate was injured in the school yard, I was the first one there helping them up, and cleaning their wound. I have a deep love for my fellow people. I not only am willing to work as hard as I can... I want to. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than knowing at the end of the day that I made a direct difference. I do not romanticize medicine. I do realize that there will be many pitfalls along the way. Colleagues may be unreasonable, the work load unbearable, and, God forbid, people will die. I do know I have a dream, and I want to make it a reality.

 

I do not expect much encouragement, but advice is always welcome.

 

Warm regards,

 

Trevor Welsh

[Guest UTMed07]

Copasetic:

My main piece of advice is:

Study something you'll enjoy (you don't have to do a science degree to go into medicine).

 

The common premed path (biology/life sciences) isn't IMHO necessarily the best way (it depends on the sort of person you are).

 

I hope you consider university as not only the path to medical school, but also an opportunity to expand your horizons and gain skills and knowledge that can more generally expand your career opportunities. You can do a mixed degree... a little biology and life sciences + a little of something else that you've always been curious about or wanted to learn more about.

 

You might be able to get advanced standing in a university program with your college degree. Look around. Some universities may give you a bunch of credits for work you've already done.

[Guest Jerika81]

Hi Trevor:

I definitly agree with UTMed07 in that you don't have to do a science degree (and you shouldn't) unless that is truly what you find most interesting. As long as you look in to the medical schools you plan on applying to in the future and find out what pre-requisite courses they require, you can work those courses in to pretty much any program- History, English, Psychology, Engineering, Computer Science, and so on. In fact, having a unique degree may even set you apart.

I also think that you should know that you are not at all "behind" in the game of getting eventual acceptance to medical school, and you will find a lot of people on these boards who have had or are having similar experiences to you, many of them ending in success stories. A good friend of mine was in a similar position to yours a few years ago although I think she was closer to 27 at the time. She went back to university and did a psychology degree and is starting medicine in September.

I think if you can channel the drive you obviously have for being a physician in to doing well at whatever program you decide to take, then you can also expect to be entering medical school in a few years.

Good luck!

[Guest Copasetic]

Sincere thanks to both of you. I mean that! I do have an inquiry however. When I write the MCAT, how will I do so without a strong math / physics / science background? Is one not forced to enroll in a Bio/Physics major simply to have adequate knowledge to do well on the MCAT?

 

Thanks again,

 

Trevor Welsh

[Guest Jerika81]

I just finished a degree in Psychology and I didn't find the MCAT to be a problem.

To write the MCAT you basically need the standard first year physics, first year biology, and first year chemistry that are offered at any university, plus organic chemistry which is usually offered in second year I think.

I wrote the MCAT without having taken organic chem, and just guessed on those questions, but this is probably a greater risk than most are willing to take.

So you can major in anything but you probably want to have taken those courses as options at some point before writing the MCAT, plus a lot of them will be pre-reqs for most med schools too.